Dear SUA Community,

Happy New Year!  Lelia and I hope that your Christmas brought joyful moments with family and friends.  We wish you peace, health, and happiness in 2025!

We always look forward to the students returning to campus after breaks, and we have had to wait a little longer than anticipated due to the snow storm.  We want to offer our most sincere thanks to our hard-working, committed facilities team.  They have been working tirelessly to remove the snow and prepare the school for a safe re-opening amid some very challenging conditions.  

As much as we want our students in classes for instruction, their safety and that of our community members are always our highest priority.  There is a lot of thoughtful discussion and (obsessive!) checking of multiple weather reports that goes into deciding whether to close or delay school.  As much as we love our location in the city, it causes us to have to consider the condition of side streets around us that are not a priority in the city’s overall snow removal plan.  We are sensitive to the fact that our families and students drive from across the Tri-State to come to SUA.  In addition to the road conditions, we pay attention to the temperature at the time of their morning commute so that drivers are not at risk of dangerously low temperatures.  The Farmer’s Almanac’s winter outlook for our area is “cold, wet, and white.”  IF that forecast is accurate, we may have a few more situations to consider, but we will always be guided by safety.

The start of the next term means new classes, new teachers, and new classmates.  Coming off of a long break, the students will need some time to transition back to school routines.  Our amazing Counseling Department is available to help students who may need some support in that area.  

It is also this time of year that the reality sets in that we only have our seniors with us for another term.  We will cherish our remaining time with them and look forward to celebrating their future plans.  

Go Bulldogs!

Kathy